Mentoring is the verb describing the action of a more senior person in a given area of expertise entering into a relationship with a more junior colleague for the purpose of advising and fostering advancement of the less experienced individual.

As individuals during our training, we can and should seek out mentors who have mastered skill sets that we wish to learn. However the expectation that one person can embody each and everything we need to master for our chosen career path is unrealistic. We should try to gain experience from peers, experts and those senior to us for maximum benefit. These relationships can help us to network, build contacts and to seek out the training or experiences we need to build a successful career.

This Fall, starting in October, the Postdoctoral Office and Postdoctoral Affair committee would like to give BU medical/BMC and BU Postdocs the opportunity to participate in small group mentoring circles of 3-5 mentees that will be paired with 1-2 mentors. This will be a forum for career exploration, self-discovery and a safe and confidential space to seek advice and varied perspectives. We hope that groups will get to know one another, become each others advocates and accountability partners. A commitment to attend and participate in six monthly sessions will be required, as well as setting personal and group goals. We will attempt to match individuals based on interest areas and have already recruited some great mentors from Academia and Industry. Please tell us if you have specific areas of interest you would like to explore in a circle so we can be responsive to your needs.

Join us for the Celebration of the completion of the first round of BU Postdoctoral mentoring circles on August 25th 5-6 PM to find out more or email Cristina Vazquez Mateo crisvm@bu.edu or Ayesha Islam ayeshai@bu.edu.

BUMC has started a mentoring program for postdocs. As part of this mentoring effort, Joanne Kamens, executive director of Addgene, gave a very interesting talk about how to be a good mentee. It is a lot of work; to get the best out of a mentoring relationship the mentee has to be proactive and very organized and should know what they want. Unfortunately this is the hardest part for me, because I really don’t know what I want to do when I grow-up.

If you are similar to me, here are two ways to help making this decision easier: myIDP and forced choice analysis. Both of these methods help to identify the things you don’t want to do and by default the perfect career should be left. That’s the theory.

Joanne also explains this on her blog, which is a great read and includes a link to her ebook about mentoring. Check it out!

As a postdoc it is sometimes hard to maintain enthusiasm. When I started in science I was super-enthusiastic, everything was new and interesting and I learned fascinating stuff every day. I sometimes wish I was still like that. Over time I noticed that there is another side of lab work: failed experiments, hours of incubations, tons of paperwork. This is balanced by the little successes: a cloning step that finally worked, a stable cell line that stays stable, a band on a gel at just the right size. Those little successes help me to reach the bright spots: the exciting results, when cells behave in unexpected yet fascinating ways, when analysis of the mass spec results in exactly the one protein predicted by your pet theory, when everything falls into place and finally makes sense.

As a postdoc such bright spots become less frequent. This is not the postdoc’s fault; this is how it is supposed to be. PhD projects are designed to yield results in time for a thesis. Committees, supervisors and mentors make sure that the projects aren’t too risky or too long. So who therefore is going to undertake the risky, long projects? Postdocs! New postdocs will often get risky projects, including ones that the PI has been sitting on for some time, or projects other people have failed at (often more than one other person). This can lead to fewer positive moments for the postdoc and instead, longer stretches of frustration interspersed with small successes which become less and less valuable over time. Unfortunately this is normal too, the first time I got a positive clone after a ligation was amazing, the 10th time was nice, but after my 63rd successful plasmid, this is no longer a big deal. It is hard to keep up enthusiasm when you only progress in tiny increments and the big goal is so far away that you can’t even see it yet.

One strategy that works for me is to make the project mine. I found the best way to make a project mine is by talking about it a lot, discussing it with potential collaborators and defending it to colleagues in talks and poster presentations. However postdocs often have few possibilities to present. The reason for this is related to the long and risky projects often undertaken by postdocs. Such research will typically not quickly lead to results that can be presented at conferences. In addition conferences are increasingly expensive. To just go and present a poster that doesn’t add much data to the existing scientific knowledge might not be a cause the PI is willing to spend money on. There are few travel grants available to postdocs and we don’t earn enough to pay for such trip ourselves. At home, postdocs, especially early ones, are seldom invited to speak at department seminars or present their work to other groups in a similar field. The best solution might be to take every opportunity to talk about research, even if it is a chalk talk for 1st year PhD students.

But even if the project works brilliantly and the PI sends you to international conferences and is generally supportive of your career, other things can interfere with enthusiasm for work. We are getting older. Graduate students can readily put their life on hold for 3-5 years, but postdocs have already gone through this. Now other things get important; we might want to take our relationships to the next level: get a mortgage, get married, maybe have children. All those life projects need enthusiasm, enthusiasm that is taken away from work-related enthusiasm. However, this is not a bad thing, very few people can just work and not live and the few that do, end up lonely and burned-out having a heart attack in their 40s. It is important, but difficult to find a good work life balance and neither aspect should take too much strength and enthusiasm away from the other one. Despite this, we should always remember why we have followed this path in life. Working in science, discovering fundamental things about the world around us can be a fascinating and at times fun life, which can and should inspire enthusiasm in other aspects of life. All we can to is keep up enthusiasm for our work and make the little lights shine brighter.

At some point another enthusiasm killer rises its head (or so I have heard) is the “why am I doing this for this guy, who doesn’t appreciate me” enthusiasm killer. When you have learned everything you can from your PI, write all your own papers and the ones for the PhD students as well (with minor corrections by the PI), basically wrote the last grant even though it is still their name on the grant, he/she is corresponding author and you only get a pat on the back, then it is hard to keep up the enthusiasm, spread cheerfulness in the lab and keep everything afloat. However, this lack of enthusiasm is a good thing: it means that the postdoc is finally ready to move on to new horizons and challenges.

Following up with individuals who you meet at scientific conferences, through networking, and other activities is important to develop relationships with your connections. Over time, these relationships can provide insight into industry, various career paths, and job opportunities. These connections should be actively fostered. Below are tips on how to follow up and cultivate your network. These tips extend beyond sending the initial “nice to meet you at (fill in the blank) scientific conference / networking event” email.

Read industry relevant newsletters and follow up with your contacts Stay current with industry news by reading sources such as Xconomy http://www.xconomy.com/ (for entrepreneurial companies), Fiercebiotech http://www.fiercebiotech.com/, Biospace http://www.biospace.com/ or MassDevice http://www.massdevice.com/ . Various news sources exist for each focus area so identify ones relevant to you. When you see news about a contact’s company, email them to mention it. For example, congratulate them for their firm’s successful commercial approval, fundraise(r), or partnership. Your contacts will appreciate that you are paying attention to their company and keeping in touch.

Stay in touch on LinkedIn

Use LinkedIn to stay in touch with your contacts. Add details to your profile so your connections can see your background and experiences. Use the status update feature on LinkedIn to let your contacts know when you publish papers and speak at conferences.

Get involved in networking groups or industry associations

Take an active role in a networking group like Healthcare Business Women’s Association (http://www.hbanet.org/ ) or an industry association such as the Boston chapter of AACR (http://aacrboston.org/) to build connections with people who share your passions. Hundreds of such organizations exist, so identify those relevant to your background and interests and become involved. Join a committee within the group, such as event programming, and actively attend the group’s events. Your involvement will build connections and allow you to stay in touch with people who are also active in the organization.

Invite your connections to speak on a panel

When your school or networking group is looking for speakers for career panels, industry focused events, or seminars, reach out to your contacts and ask them to participate. Even if your contacts cannot participate due to schedules, they will appreciate that you reached out. This is a wonderful way to keep in touch.

Ask your connections for career/industry advice

Ask your contacts about their career paths, how they chose them, and what guidance they would provide for someone looking to be in a similar career. People enjoy helping others and feel good when they can provide advice, especially career advice.

Let your contacts know when you publish a paper or speak at a conference

Share details about your recent publications, presentations, conference abstracts, or other scientific details with individuals who have expressed interest in your research. Through this, you build thought leadership and become a resource for your contacts.

Numerous opportunities exist to follow up with your connections. Tailor your approach and use multiple avenues of engagement. Through your effort, not only will you build connections, but you will gain a lot of industry knowledge as well.

As postdocs we are always striving to advance our careers, foremost through performing brilliant research in the laboratory or in silico and publication of said brilliant research. Unfortunately being great in the lab is simply not enough to successfully transition to a faculty position. Here are some ideas that could help postdocs acquire the skills necessary.

1.Write a review

Ask your PI if he is planning to write a review and suggest that you help him write the article. If he is not planning to, suggest a topic, ask for his feedback, write the review and submit it with your PI (after he has corrected it).

What do you win? Another publication for your CV together with in depth knowledge of the current literature

2.Peer-review manuscripts

A lot of postdocs already help their PIs peer-review manuscripts, but the editors of the journals will often only see the PIs name, since she is the official reviewer. Ask your PI if you can review a manuscript under your own name. She might have to email the editor and suggest you as an expert in the field, but once editors know you, they might continue to use you as a referee.

What do you win? At least one editor will know your name and that you have experience reviewing papers

3.Be social

Maybe your department, corridor, floor or lab uses a common lunch room, where everybody has lunch at approximately the same time. Join them! Have conversations with different people every day or with the whole group. If your department, floor, or a multi-lab group has any form of social gatherings, go! It could be a happy hour or a monthly bowling night. If nothing like it exists suggest it once or twice, maybe it becomes a regular occurrence! Even though it might be much nicer to go home and not spend time with people that you have just spent all day with, this is a great opportunity to meet peers in a more relaxed environment and maybe hear some gossip about positions in other institutes.

What do you win? Networking skills, a peer network and a nice evening out

4.Serve on boards/committees

To get the full benefit of joining scientific societies like AAAS, NPA or AWIS, participate actively in their events. Not only read their newsletter, but attend meetings, join one committee or volunteer to help out during events. This is a great opportunity to meet PIs, postdocs and PhD students from other institutes around Boston and increase your professional network, plus it looks great on your CV.

What do you win? Contacts, experience and insights into alternative careers (e.g. scientific management)

5.Apply for fellowships

Look for postdoc fellowships, even partial ones, and apply. There are quite a lot of small organizations that sponsor postdocs/PhD students, often with strangely specific topics.

What do you win? Even if you don’t get the fellowship, just writing the application and maybe getting feedback from the organization you applied to, helps to identify areas which you need to improve. If you get it, you now have money! This gives you some independence from your PI, since it is your own money, plus it is a great advantage when applying for grants.

Every postdoc and every PI is different; some of these suggestions may not work for you or your PI. However, if you have experience with any of the above or other suggestions then please leave a comment!

When you apply to a job, the details listed on your resume provide your “future employer” with information about the type of job you are looking for. The key words you include, the way you phrase your accomplishments and experiences, how you order your bullet points, all of this matters. These details build your brand.

I have been asked numerous times for guidance on what should be included in a resume. Below are a few thoughts on this important topic.

RESEARCH ROLES

If you are looking for a “bench research-based” role, make sure you include major research techniques used during each of your roles, as well as a separate section listing all of the research techniques you have ever used and know well. An HR person and hiring manager will want to see both the current techniques and previous ones since this indicates how you have developed over time. Whether you are a post-doc, or an industry professional, listing these details is important to show growth.

Many companies use resume-parsing systems to input a candidate’s resume details into their database. Companies then scan resumes against job descriptions to see which candidates could be a fit. Resumes without details listed won’t come up as matches when scans are done. Therefore, even if you have the relevant experience, companies won’t be able to tell. You will be passed over in favor of candidates who have listed the relevant skills.

Include research techniques on your resume from the job description, when applying to a job only if you have experience with them. Customize the resume for each job. Don’t just list a general term like molecular biology techniques. Elaborate on exactly which technique you have experience with, such as molecular cloning, recombinant DNA methods, PCR, site directed mutagenesis, DNA isolation, purification, and sequencing, Southern blotting, and Northern blotting. Don’t rely on a hiring manager to guess that you have the right experience. Clearly indicate what you do and have done. Don’t be afraid to take too much space when listing skills; you can recover some of the space through clever formatting: by using a smaller font for the list, as well as going from a vertical bullet point list to a horizontal one. The important part is to be thorough and specific in listing your skills.

NON-RESEARCH ROLES

Resumes for non-research roles should not include significant details about research techniques, since these are not typically relevant to these types of roles. Usually, disease and/or therapeutically-relevant experience is important to highlight, especially if you are considering a role in clinical research, or as a medical science liaison. You can include high-level information about techniques you know under each of your experiences, but it is not needed to include an entire research techniques section. Sending a “research-focused” resume to a non-research role will indicate to the potential employer that you are not sufficiently interested in the role that you are applying to because you did not bother to tailor your resume to the job. Non-research based roles prefer to see more transferable skills and experiences such as: leading teams, managing collaborations, working with clients, managing projects, strong communication and writing experience, and mentoring, rather than specific laboratory skills and techniques. For a non-research role, extra-curricular (i.e. blog writer or teaching assistant) and community service activities (i.e. president of a particular charity) should also gain more prominence on your resume. These activities highlight your transferable skills, especially if your previous job/academic experiences are heavy on the laboratory research exposure and not much else.

What you decide to include on your resume is important. The details tell a story and indicate what type of position you are looking for. Be focused and strategic. The effort will pay off!

Francesca used to be a BUMC postdoc, recently she got a position as assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at BUMC, where she researches the molecular and genetic mechanisms of arterial stiffness and how to cure and prevent it. She also wrote an interesting post for the postdoc blog, enjoy!

About being a scientist

The Danish toy giant LEGO has recently grabbed media attention for the release of a new minifigure: the “scientist”. The little yellow brick wearing lab coat, glasses and a pen in the pocket looks cute and sharp; definitely not a mad, nerdy or evil scientist, as often portrayed in the collective imaginary (think Shelley’s Dr. Frankeinstein or Doc from the movie “Back to the Future”). Most of all, the “scientist” is female. As I dug deeper, I was surprised to discover that LEGO has been criticized in the past for gender bias and its previous attempts to market to girls found guilty of perpetuating the “pink and pretty” stereotypesof female representation. The new “lady scientist” may be, in part, an attempt to amend such gender bias accusations.

This came just a few months after yet another much debated release: the book “Leanin” from Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, in which the author encourages women to engage more in leadership roles in the workplace and blames them for not embracing their full potential. All the debateabout gender disparity in the American workforce and particularly in STEM careers(science, technology, engineering, mathematics) made me think: what does really take to succeed in science, independently if you are a guy or a girl? I asked myself this very question many years ago as a PhD (female) student when I was looking for sources of inspiration and directions about my future and my career. At that time, I came across a great book, “Advice for a young investigator” from the Spanish scientist Santiago Ramon y Cayal. According to the eminent neuroanatomist, hard work, passion for work, family and country, ambition, patience, humility, pursue of original data and master of the techniques are the qualities required to succeed in science. Most importantly, the idea of having to be exceptionally smart or genius, as sometimes scientists are envisioned in the popular perception, was not even mentioned in the book. Although the book was first published in 1897, the principles it promotes are timeless and universal and I reasoned that being successful in science boils down to willpower, self-motivation and perseverance, none of which, are gender-related qualities or restricted to STEM careers (a sport coach would probably have a similar piece of advice for young athletes as Ramon y Cayal had for young investigators).

In a recent trip to my home country, Italy, I went to renew my ID and the office clerk asked me what my profession was. To my surprise, the profession “scientist” was not in the list of choices although they had “academic researcher”, which is pretty close. Despite the profession of “the scientist” being somehow nebulous and elusive in Italy, growing up I never felt discouraged to pursue a STEM education and career and definitely not because of my gender. Now, as an early stage investigator, I come to appreciate how lucky I was to have teachers, family and mentors that rewarded perseverance and valued resilience as I was growing up. Those are the very qualities that, during my PhD and postdoctoral years, helped me to face failed experiments, long hours in the lab and many years of training at low pay. And probably these are the very same qualities that keep us scientists going these days in face of NIH spending cuts and low grant success ratesthat threaten to shut down our labs. Sure, STEM careers are tough but after all, the ideal of making an impact against human suffering, advancing knowledge and the satisfaction that comes from successful experiments, new discoveries, published articles and funded grants, make it all worth it. Despite the hardship and the challenges, science is creative, exciting and rewarding if you do not give up. And hopefully the little “scientist” LEGO figure will help to pull more young people into it.

Numerous options exist to identify potential companies to work for, especially those companies that are innovative, but not (yet) well-known. Below is a top ten list of ways to uncover exciting and innovative companies relevant to your area(s) of interest. The advice provided below is applicable to all industry sectors, but the specific examples have been tailored for the life sciences sector.

Tip 1: Utilize your connections

Your connections include college and graduate school classmates, lab mates, friends, clubs and social groups, connections from industry associations, neighbors, mentors, teachers, and people you meet at networking events and conferences. These connections should extend to alumni of your academic institutions. Even though you may not know these individuals personally, you share a common experience that can be leveraged for your career search. Your connections may not be involved in your exact area(s) of interest (i.e. cancer research or cardiovascular medical devices), but may have connections to those who are. Develop your elevator pitch/email and share it with your contacts to succinctly inform them of your background and what you are looking for (i.e. research in a small biotech or consulting in a boutique firm). Use LinkedIn to keep in touch. Build out your profile so that your connections and potential employers can see your background.

Tip 2: Industry News Feeds

Every industry has news sources that profile advances, industry trends and companies in the sector. Sources such as www.Xconomy.com (entrepreneurial technology/life sciences oriented companies), www.biospace.com (life sciences companies), or www.devicespace.com (medical device companies) are a few examples. Hundreds of news sources exist (from general to extremely specific), so seek out news feeds relevant to your interests and subscribe to them.

Tip 3: Publications

Search Google Scholar or Pubmed to identify research related to your interests. Recent publications in your area of interest can tell you a lot about who is currently working in the space.

Organizations such as MassBio http://www.massbio.org/ and MassMedichttp://www.massmedic.com have a wealth of information on biomedical research companies in Massachusetts.s. Similar resources are available in most states, and most countries have organizations that represent and focus on specific industry sectors. These organizations are an invaluable resource. Sign up for their newsletters and newsfeeds to keep yourself current.

Tip 6: Industry Reports

Many consulting firms like Ernst and Young and PWC compile extensive industry sector specific reports or white papers. Their life sciences and medical technology reports are very informative and provide tremendous information about companies, trends, and issues related to the industry.

Tip 7: Venture Capital Organizations

Look into websites for venture capital organizations that fund companies in your area of interest, especially if you are looking to work in a start-up. Many of these organizations profile companies they have invested in on their websites. It is not uncommon for portfolio companies to initially operate in “stealth mode,” therefore it may be hard to find information about them from other sources.

Tip 8: LinkedIn

Search LinkedIn using the advanced search feature. In the keywords section, enter your areas of interest – i.e. prostate cancer therapeutics, oncology microfluidic diagnostic platform, or atrial fibrillation. Search by 1st degree connection and see what comes up. If only a few people appear in the search results, then expand the search criteria to 2nd and 3rd degree connections. Click on the profiles and see where the individuals work. This may identify companies of interest and will also show you information about the backgrounds of people who work there.

Tip 9: Blogs

Many thought leaders in each industry write sector specific blogs. Follow these individuals to keep up with the latest industry news, trends, and companies.

Tip 10: Web Searches

Search the internet for specific key words relevant to your area of interest to identify companies working in the area. Review the company websites and read pages such as, about us, company history, scientific advisors, advisory board, management team, investors, and partners. These pages provide useful information about the focus of the company and may help you learn about other companies. For example, the investors tab will often highlight the venture capital firm or firms that have invested in a particular company. Reviewing this page may help you identify a VC that you were unaware of. Review the VC’s webpage to learn about other companies that this firm invests in. Then add “companies of interest” to your “target company list”.

The amount of information available regarding companies, research, and exciting opportunities is staggering. By focusing your search efforts, you will uncover new and exciting companies aligned with your career aspirations. Tailor your approach to increase your effectiveness and efficiency, otherwise you may find yourself spending hours searching for that needle in the haystack. Through this process, you will learn about companies and the industry in which they work. The information you obtain will be invaluable as your career develops.

Finding a good recruiter who works in your area of interest can be extremely beneficial for your job search. With thousands of recruitment firms, ranging from one person companies that focus on specific roles, i.e. director level clinical affairs roles, to multinational organizations that focus on many functional areas and level of roles (c-level, VP, director, etc), how do you identify the one(s) which are relevant for you?

Search job boards

Recruiters often post roles on job boards to provide visibility and attract candidates to roles on which they are working. As you search these job boards (i.e. the MassBio Careers page, Indeed, Biospace), you may notice recruitment firms in addition to the biotech/pharmaceutical companies hiring directly. Make a list of these recruitment firms, research them, and email the relevant ones your resume. Some of these firms have newsletters and/or blogs that you can subscribe to which cover job openings, industry trends, and career development articles.

Ask connections

During your informational interviews, ask your connections if they know of recruiters who work in your area of interest. This will uncover recruitment firms that you can add to your list and may also provide you with a warm lead into a firm. Recruiters value referrals. Don’t be shy to email a recruiter and say, X person suggested that I reach out to you since you recruit for companies in the clinical research area.

Career Panels at Industry Conferences

Many industry conferences dedicate at least one panel during their conference to a career related topic. Pay attention to who is on the panel since these individuals may be recruiters relevant to your area.

LinkedIn

Search LinkedIn using the advanced search feature and then the keyword and title tabs. For keyword, type in “clinical research” and for title type in recruiter and then hit search. This will yield a number of recruiters (both internal and external to firms). You can then narrow this list by 1st, 2nd, 3rd degree connections, or geography via zipcode. When you identify recruiters of interest, add them to your list and email the recruiters, preferably via their email address. Most recruiters list their email address either in their LinkedIn profile or on their company website.

When you identify a recruitment firm, ask the firm what level of individuals they typically place. If you are a recent Ph.D. graduate and the firm only recruits at the C-level (CEO, CSO, CBO), they won’t be able to assist you. Also ask what type of roles the firm works on. If you want a research role and the firm only does financial roles in life sciences, again, they won’t be able to assist you. If they cannot help you, ask them if they know of other firms you should reach out to. Your diligence in this process will allow you to connect with “relevant” firms which should increase the chances for a successful outcome – a new job for you.

I got a PhD. Doing it was very normal: I did research in a laboratory, during the 2nd year I started to realize that my supervisor wasn’t the all-knowing wise man I thought he was, and after my third year he finally grew tired of having me around, so he let me graduate. Then they gave me a piece of paper and told my that I am now allowed to introduce myself as Dr. Juliane.

And I felt nothing. I was sure I would be happy, proud, full of joy or at least relieved, but I wasn’t. Something really big, something that used to be my life had ended. The goal, I worked so hard to reach was achieved, but it didn’t feel like an achievement at all. Because, the minute after you get it, your PhD doesn’t matter any more! A PhD is your entrance ticket into the world of science. It proves that you are smart (or obsessed) enough to join the club. In the world of science everybody has a PhD and because of this it is nothing special. It is a little bit like learning how to walk, it is hard while you try, but after you mastered the task it is no big deal anymore, and just because you can walk it doesn’t mean you are a great athlete or endurance hiker. The same is true for science, just because you did a PhD, you are not a great scientist or even a mediocre scientist. Now we can walk, or have got the PhD, the real work begins. We have to stay in training, because you are only as good as your latest paper, or maybe your PI’s latest grant application. Often when you are busy writing three papers at once and trying to produce data for a grant application, it is akin to doing a PhD thesis all over again and it never really stops. Is this really the life I dreamed off when working on my PhD? The life I want for myself until I retire, always trying to have ideas good enough to convince editors and grant application committees? Never stop thinking about science and deadlines? Do I have to run, just because I can walk?

While I was working on my PhD, I and the other students were told that the goal is the PhD and everything else will fall in place after that; this is simply not true. With the little piece of paper that allows me to call myself Dr. Juliane, I stood in front of the gate leading into the gigantic mazy space that is ‘academic science’ and realized that it is just the very beginning of the big adventure. And exactly at this point, standing at the gate with the ticket, a life changing decision had to be made: Doing my PhD was great and I am proud of it. However, just because I got the ticket doesn’t mean that I have to go in. Just because you can walk, doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon, lots of people are much happier taking a stroll or doing some recreational jogging. The same holds true for science, there are a million different ways of using the basic skills we obtained during the PhD training: self-discipline, a high threshold for frustration, scientific thinking and understanding, critical reading, presenting data, efficiently working with eccentric personalities and on top of all this, the knowledge of our field and methods. Self-discipline is very important to start your own business, in science or otherwise; critical reading abilities and scientific thinking is a skill highly needed in banking and patent law, as well as scientific writing and editing; presenting data and getting other people’s help with your projects are great skills for freelancers as well as managers; and the specific skill set you acquired performing experiments in the laboratory might as well make you the expert some pharmaceutical company is looking for. Often we will have to build on the basic set; just like there is walking, but also running, skipping, jogging, strolling, sprinting, etc, there is basic science, applied science, law, management, starting your own business or becoming a movie director.

Enough with the walking metaphor, here comes the chocolate factory metaphor!! You have your PhD, it’s like finding the Golden Ticket; but just because you got the Golden Ticket, doesn’t mean that you will get the chocolate factory. You get a chance at getting it and what you do with this chance is entirely up to you. However, maybe you don’t like chocolate or after spending some time in the chocolate factory, realize that too much chocolate is bad for your health and that you would rather have a grilled cheese sandwich.

That is the great thing about our golden tickets, only the entrance value into the world of academic science expires (sort of). If you take it and frame it and put it on your wall, people you know who are not scientists will believe that you are a very smart person, since getting the ticket is already a great accomplishment. They are absolutely correct, most of them haven’t even tried. And just like I would never want to run a marathon, but admire people who train for it and finish 10099 out of 12000, people outside the world of science admire us for getting this far. At the very least getting a PhD proves to ourselves that we are smart and able to function under immense pressure. So let’s use our golden tickets in whatever way feels right to us, right now.